Best yarn bowls for knitting and crochet
There's so many different types of yarn bowl available, so we've picked our favourites to help you treat yourself!
Here at Gathered we love a yarn bowl, but if you've never heard of them before and are wondering what is a yarn bowl... well, it's as it sounds, a bowl for your yarn! But what's the point of them, and how do they differ from a regular bowl?
What is a yarn bowl?
Yarn bowls (which may also be called a knitting bowl or wool bowl) are a fantastic product for knitters and crocheters, and they come in a huge range of sizes, styles and materials. The main purpose of a yarn bowl is that it keeps your ball of yarn in place. When you're busy knitting or crocheting, as you pull on your yarn it's easy for your balls to roll off or get tangled, gathering dust on the floor, finding it's way under the sofa, somehow wrapping itself around table legs... or worse - becoming a play toy for your cats!
How does a yarn bowl work?
Yarn bowls normally have a curved cut into them which makes them different to regular bowls, and this is where your yarn is threaded through. As you pull on the yarn as you work, the yarn will come through this cut but the ball will stay neatly in the yarn bowl (often spinning around inside the bowl). Some bowls also come with handy holes for your needles or hooks too.
Why should I use a yarn bowl?
As well as keeping your yarn in one place, another advantage of using a yarn bowl is when you are using two yarns together, as these can easily become entangled with each other - but storing one (or both) in a yarn bowl means you'll cut down on those nasty tangles!
They make fantastic gifts for the crocheter or knitter in your life, or just as a well-deserved treat for yourself. One of the main things we love about yarn bowls is that there are a huge range of independent makers that produce them, from ceramicists to woodturners, so buying a yarn bowl is a great way of supporting small artisan makers. We've tried to include a range of bowls at different prices in this list, but remember that a lot of these products are handmade unique items created by skilled crafts people, so it's worth the investment for something so special.
How big is a yarn bowl?
It's important to look closely at the dimensions when buying a yarn bowl as they come in all sorts of different sizes. As a general rule your average yarn bowl will measure around 5 - 7 inches in diameter, which is normally big enough for most knitter and crocheters (as an example, it should fit an average sized yarn cake, a couple of 50g balls of cotton yarn, or a skein wound into a ball). If you're fan of using particularly big balls of yarn (for example, a 100g ball of dk yarn or bigger) or multiple balls at the same time, then you may want to look into getting a larger bowl as they may not fit in smaller bowls.
If you're looking for more help with your knitting and crochet accesory purchases, we've got loads of handy articles to help you make the best decision. Find out which are the best crochet hooks or best knitting needles to buy, or take a look at our gifts for knitters and gifts for crocheters articles. You can also find our list of the best stitch markers for knitting and crochet, or check out some of the best yarn packs and yarn bundles!
20 of the Best Yarn Bowls
Simple Wooden yarn bowl
Yarn bowls mostly come in one of two materials - wood or ceramics (although we've included an interesting alternative at the end of this post). While we do love ceramic yarn bowls, they can be quite fragile - which is a concern for us clumsy folks, and speaking from experience it's heartbreaking when you knock your special ceramic bowl off the table. But you can always go for a natural wooden yarn bowl if you're after a bowl that's a bit sturdier and has that natural feel to it. These simple wooden yarn bowls are made from mango wood which really shows off the grain of the wood, and measuring 7 inches in diameter it should be wide enough to accommodate most yarn balls.
Bamboo yarn box
We thought we'd show you something a little different for our second bowl... so different in fact that it's not a bowl at all! This bamboo yarn box is an interesting and practical take on the traditional yarn bowl. It still has that spiral cut section for you to thread your yarn through, but also has a lid to ensure your yarn stays in the box (and doubles up as a bit of extra protection and as a perch if you've got cats in the house), plus the flat base means it'll be nice and sturdy too. The photos do perhaps make it look bigger than it is, but it does claim to be able to contain most 100g balls and with an internal height and width of 6.75 inches you should definitely be able to get smaller balls and maybe your current work-in-progress inside it.
Barruntundo ceramic yarn bowls
Onto our first ceramic bowl now, and there's so many beautiful bowls to choose from! We love these sweet yarn bowls by Barruntundo ceramics, which are handmade in Spain by a collective of female designers and come in a range of cute creature characters, including sheep, rams, foxes, giraffes and more.
NormsWoodCraft yarn bowls
If you're after a wooden yarn bowl that is full of character, then you've got to check our NormsWoodCraft's bowls. These big and chunky bowls are hand carved and are tall and sturdy enough that you can use them as floor-standing bowls. You can also order custom-spec hand-carved yarn bowls, and each bowl also comes with the added option to add a charming wooden mouse!
Personalised ceramic yarn bowl
When it comes to buying presents for knitter and crocheters, it can sometimes be tricky... but trust us, buy them one of these personalised ceramic yarn bowls and they'll treasure it forever! You can customise your message, colours and even sponge choices on your order, making it a really unique and personal gift.
LittleWren Ceramic yarn bowl
How cute are these bunny yarn bowls by LittleWrenCeramics?! Available in a range of different colours and glazes, these hand-thrown bowls are made by Victoria in North Yorkshire, and there's a few other options available including adding a customised message to you yarn bowl.
Trescone Wood Turning yarn bowls
If you're looking for a really special yarn bowl, then these ones by Trescone Wood Turning are some of the most unique one's we've ever seen. The bowls are made by Michael in Indiana who salvages, mills and drys the wood himself from trees that have been damaged by storms or other natural causes. As well as the intricate yarn holes/cuts, we love how his dye effects add a pop of colour while still showing off the beautiful grain of the wood.
Kolonavkolokola yarn bowls
Maybe you want a super-sleek yarn bowl to match your stylish home - then this beautiful yarn bowl might just be perfect for you! Made in Ukraine by Kolo Navkolokola, these yarn bowls are made on a potters wheel and have a glossy finish that really adds to the minimalist style!
WoodBeach yarn bowls
Here's another yarn bowl producer who really shows off the natural qualities of wood! These beautiful hand-turned bowls are all made from locally sourced wood by Ken of WoodBeach in his workshop in Wales.
Tatania's Pottery Hand painted ceramic yarn bowl
If you're after a yarn bowl that's a bit more colourful, then maybe you'll like these gorgeous bowls by Tatania's Pottery. These handmade and hand painted ceramic bowls have a lovely colourful folk-art style to them, decorated with beautiful birds and flowers. We think they'd make a fantastic gift for the knitter or crocher in your life (or yourself!).
KnitPro wooden yarn bowl
This wooden yarn bowl from knitting and crochet accessory specialists KnitPro has a unique and interesting method for keeping your yarn in place. Rather than having a curved slit in the bowl, this one features a smaller cut section and a peg that goes into the notch to make sure your yarn stays in place (the peg is also attached to the bowl with a cord - a clever touch to stop you from losing it).
Dom's pottery yarn bowls
Doms Pottery have a wonderful range of different yarn bowls available, all hand made and made to order. From beautiful colourful glazes, fun and funky cut-out shape details and even some jumbo yarn bowls, whatever style you're looking for you're sure to find the perfect yarn bowl for you!
Knitting effect yarn bowl
Everyone will know exactly what that fancy bowl on your table is for, thanks to it's gorgeous knitting stitch effect decoration! These clever yarn bowls by Charan Sachar feature the classic slit for your yarn plus some cute decorative buttons, but are also built in an oval shape with a flat base to help make them super-stable!
FoxRosalita yarn bowls
We love the earthy tones and nature-inspired decoration on these fabulous ceramic yarn bowls by FoxRosalita. Handmade and hand-painted in Riga, Latvia, they'd make a fabulous gift for the knitter or crocheter in your life.
TheWrightWoodCo Yarn bowls
This wooden yarn bowl is not only made from gorgeous Indian Rosewood, but also features an amazing effect that is achieved by fractal burning! - a process using electricity to create fabulous burned cracks which are then filled with colourful resin. These bowls and hand-made in India using ethically sourced wood, and as well as this beautiful bowl they also have some other plain wood bowls too.
Ceramic yarn bowls by ClayCreationsByMiri
ClayCreationsByMiri from Israel has some lovely yarn bowls in solid colours and interesting glazes available, but we particularly love this Boho style yarn bowl. It perfectly uses spots of colours and minimal styling to really make a unique yarn bowl that is both super-stylish as well as practical!
Ceramic art yarn bowls
If you want to treat yourself to a true work of art (that also conveniently doubles up as a yarn bowl), then you've got to check out the amazing ceramic creations by Orna Shoham Avrutzky. Her amazing hand painted sculptures all feature animals and come in a wide range of styles, and each bowl is truly a one-off unique and original product!
Raku ceramic yarn bowl
Here's another yarn bowl producer that really does create works of art! These yarn bowls by Federico Becchetti do come with a pretty hefty price tag, but you are paying for a true piece of expert craftsmanship and artistry. These bowls are handmade to order in your own choice of colours, but it's the Raku effect that really does it for us - Raku is a process where the item is exposed to extremes in temperature which creates interesting cracks and effects made by chemical reactions on the final glaze - it's also an incredibly risky firing process which takes a real expert crafts-person to master!
3D printed yarn bowl
We've focussed on mostly ceramic or wooden yarn bowls so far, but there is another option - a 3D printed yarn bowl! These bowls are made from a high quality plastic by DansCraftShop, who also makes sure the bowls are polished perfectly to ensure your yarn doesn't snag on any edges. As well as a couple of designs in the more traditional yarn bowl style, we particularly like this one with multiple holes as it could be used for a whole range of other purposes when you're not using it for yarn!
Textile art yarn bowls
For those of you who aren't fans of wood, ceramics or 3D printed plastic, maybe our final yarn bowl will be more to your liking! These textile art yarn bowls are an interesting take on the yarn bowl concept, and you definitely won't break this one if you knock it over! This clever design unbuttons so that you can insert your ball of yarn, then button it back up and use it just like a regular yarn bowl - keeping your yarn clean, securely in place and avoiding any nasty tangles. It features a stiffened base to help keep it in position, and when you're not using it you can fold it flat and store it away! We think it's a really clever idea and great for knitting or crocheting on the go too!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our pick of the best yarn bowls, don’t forget if you need any help with your crochet stitches you can always check out our crochet for beginners guide. And if you’re looking to treat yourself, check out our list of the best crochet hooks and the best crochet kits for beginners.
Authors
Matt Spiers is a crochet artist and designer who has been overseeing Gathered's crochet articles for over 2 years. He previously worked as Digital Assistant for Simply Crochet magazine and is our in house video editing pro. What started as a hobby a decade ago led to Matt developing a passion (and then a career) with crochet. As well as still regularly writing and designing for Simply Crochet magazine, Matt is a crochet artist in his own right, having displayed and created crochet installations at festivals and fibre events across the UK. You can keep up to date with Matt at @onemancrochet on Instagram.
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